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Comparing the best value personal tablets for your office.

A tablet computer – known commonly as a tablet, is a mobile computer with all aspects of a laptop or PC contained in the same unit. Although a small number of models have been available over the last 20 years, it is only since 2010 that the tablet market has really taken off.

A tablet will carry out many of the same functions as a laptop, but is much smaller, lighter and is contained within one screen. The mouse is replaced by touch-finger technology, in the same way that a smartphone operates. Once an item only seen in science fiction films, the tablet is now very much part of daily life and is growing in features each day. Models such as the Galaxy 10 even support handwriting recognition and whilst this is a feature which is still very much in development, is sure to quickly become common place over the next year or so.

With the tablet now having the capacity to carry out all the features of a laptop, they are now the natural progression for a replacement to the usurper of the PC. The tablet screen has a pop-up keyboard and the screen resolutions are sharp, despite being smaller than laptops. For anyone who has an urgent need to replace their laptop and needs short term finance, a payday loan from a company such as Wonga could be the solution. It’s important though that this is for an emergency rather than the buying of a luxury item.

For the lucrative title of being an ‘industry standard’ in the professional office environment, the big names have been battling it out for the pound in the pocket. Apple’s iPad is currently the top-selling model across the world, with a 29.7% market share. With the Android platform products vying for the remainder of the market, it’s now a crowded industry and there are tablets to fit all budgets.

For those wanting to buy their first tablet and don’t want to spend a huge amount of money, the sub-£100 models are now serious considerations. Even the supermarkets have decided to join the chase for the consumer cash with Aldi being the latest to launch their own product. At £79.99, the Medion Lifetab Android E7316 is designed to sit alongside rival Tesco’s Hudl priced at £119.99. Whilst not as fast or powerful, the Medion is certainly a good gift for a child or for someone who only requires features such as browsing the internet, playing games or using apps such as media player or those on the Amazon store.

With it now being as easy to buy a tablet as a tin of baked beans, other serious players in the low-budget sector such as Google’s Nexus 7 at £199 and Amazon’s £99 Kindle Fire are watching carefully to see how this competitive and small-margined market fares over Christmas.

If money is no object and the desire is for a top of the range model, then the biggest decision is the favoured platform. Competitors are hot on the heels for the coveted top spot and whilst the iPad range is currently seen as top of the Christmas tree for top-spec choice and name-related status, other options to look at include the recently launched Microsoft Surface Pro, the Sony Xperia and the Samsung Galaxy note 3. All have fast processing capacity, run on the latest platform versions and offer a world of movies, games and internet viewed with breathtaking clarity.

With estimated sales of over 6 million in the second half of 2018, the tablet is now the must-have gadget for anyone needing computing, media or communications capability which is portable, light and fast. With the range of budget models under the tree this Christmas, the tablet is here to stay and is now almost as much a part of daily life as the mobile phone.